Peace Day 2010

 

'Joy of giving' week

In the great Indian epic of Mahaabhaarat one of the main characters, Karna, is an epitome of generous donor or a 'giver'. It is said in the epic that Karna possessed a divinely gifted protective layer on his body and pair of ear-wear that made him invincible. In one of the incidences in the epic he ends up giving away these items to a stranger, sherely out of his generosity, eventhough it meant endangering his own life. Although not as selflessly generous as Karna, all of us have done our bit of donating in cash or kind for some cause or the other in our lives. And all of us would agree that there is definitely some kind of innate joy in the process of giving without expecting anything in return. There is a very different kind of satisfaction to know your contribution is going to help another human(s) to lead a better life.

Based on and appealing to the same ideology a 'Joy of Giving Week' (JGW) was started in India in 2009. Its Wikipedia page describes it as a 'festival of philanthrophy'. Starting on a Sunday and ending on a Saturday, containing October 2 within, this time frame is chosen to coincide with Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on 2nd October. This year it falls within Sept 26 and Oct 2. The Week is temporarily hosted at GiveIndia till it reaches critical mass, but several organisations and people including Goonj, Riverside School, JAM, ISB, Toofles, the various Media Houses of India, celebrities and individuals have come together to make it possible. The Joy of Giving Week is 100% volunteer driven  and co-ordinated. City level volunteers anchor different "verticals"- corporates, schools, colleges, media, celebrities, NGOs and others, engaging with them and helping them plan, execute and participate in "giving events". One can register on their Ning page in order to host an event or to volunteer. You can also find out what events are taking place in which city and what category (corporate, school, NGO etc.) that event falls into. They also update their blog regularly with new information about JGW.

So go check out their Ning page and (if you're in India) see how you can experience the joy of giving yourself or (if you're outside India) get inspired to do something similar that will make this world a more joyful place! I would like to end this post with an African proverb, "If you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito in it."

International Literacy Day 2010

Literacy: Ability to read and write [Latin littera = letter]

Numeracy: Skill with numbers and mathematics [Latin numerus = number]

Wehn yuo cnnaot raed, noe hruendd ftory ccrhaetars mean noinhtg. Hlep ptoorme goalbl latceriy: 
http://t.co/SKrsiq4

 

Living dangerously

[Image source: MSN News]
Many of us who are able to access internet and read blog posts like this one usually come from the section of the society that ensures our children are brought up in a safe environment and are not exposed to many outrageously dangerous circumstances. However not many children from developing countries around the world are as lucky. This fact is sometimes made too clear for comfort to us by news reports like the one I came across on MSN news yesterday. The images are very telling.

What surprised me a bit was that only 2 out of the 12 images were from India, my own country which is still considered developing, while most were from far east Asian and African countries. Many a time we are desensitised to the problems of people outside of our country by constant bombardment of the media reports of how badly our own country is doing. I watched image after image of kids from Manila, Kenya and so on playing in extremely polluted environs which they had improvised so ingeniously into a playground. Lot of thoughts came into my mind as I did so.

First one was more of a realization than mere thought. My reaction to pictures from the Indian subcontinent and Africa and those from around Asia was very different. I was sort of assuming that African, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi kids would be growing up and playing in such horribly detrimental circumstances. But when it came to pictures from Asian countries like Manila, Viet nam and Jakarta, my first reaction was that of astonishment. For some reason I never imagined that the situation might be worse than that on Indian subcontinent. Then gradually as that fact sunk in the second thought came to the fore. The importance of how a country or its people are represented in media. I know that this is not particularly a “eureka” thought. But I was just made to realise it once again. Countries from Africa and the Indian subcontinent (probably except India) are more often than not spotlighted for their poverty in all senses. Although the poverty and lack in India is also highlighted many a times in the media there are times when it is in the news for its scientific and technological advancements as well. On the other hand, Asian countries are more often than not portrayed as either technological giants (Japan, Korea etc.) or extremely beautiful tourist destinations (Thailand, Malaysia and the like). So when one sees images like those in this MSN news report the initial reaction is that of surprise.

Of course the main aim behind sharing these images with you is to make you aware of what legacy the previous and current generation of human beings has left for their descendants. It’s not just the planet and the fellow Earthlings that we have affected but our own selves and our offspring. I sincerely hope these images haunt you at least for some days to come ... and may be inspire you to do something about it.

L'Arche: Spreading compassion

Guest post generously contributed by Rebecca Happy, a long time dedicated and active member of L'Arche, Canada.

 

Founding Story

 

L'Arche is an international community of people with and without developmental disabilities who share life together in a family-like setting of a home. We were founded inadvertently, so to speak, by a philosopher and thought leader from Canada, who was the son of Canada’s first francophone Governor General (the Queen’s representative in Canada) George Vanier.

 

In 1964, Jean Vanier was in France visiting a Dominican priest who was the chaplain of an institution that used to warehouse people with developmental disabilities. The institution was shutting its doors and the keys were “handed over” to them. Jean invited 3 men to live with him in a small house he called L’Arche in reference to Noah’s Arc. He knew it was a long term commitment but had no idea how big it would grow. Today, there are over 130 L'Arche communities in 34 countries and on six continents. These communities are all part of the International Federation of L'Arche Communities.

 

Vision

 

L’Arche is committed to helping create an open, inclusive and compassionate society where every person is valued and can make a contribution. L’Arche has a unique vision of care-giving in that it fosters inclusion, understanding and belonging. L’Arche believes that people with developmental disabilities have gifts of the heart that are unique and powerful in their ability to change society. When we let go of our stereotypes of people and ourselves, we can be surprised by what people with developmental disabilities can offer us. At the core of the human experience we are all spiritual beings with the same basic needs and desires. To belong, and to love and be loved are certainly amongst the crucial factors that make up our hearts. In spite of the pretence and fictitious rules and regulations we create for ourselves, when pared all away we can receive our common humanity.

 

Life Transformation

 

L’Arche members, with and without disabilities, share in decision making in all aspects of their lives. L’Arche believes that meaningful activities whether for work, play or spirit are important for the dignity of all members of society. Every year L’Arche attracts hundreds of young people from around the world to come and share life with people with developmental disabilities. Entering into intimate life-sharing with people with developmental disabilities is transformative and life changing.

 

I have been in L’Arche since the late 80’s. Initially I went to a community in France to learn about community and belonging, about faith, to learn to speak French, and to learn about people with developmental disabilities. I never imagined staying for so long.

 

I was welcomed unabashedly with open arms into people’s hearts. Most people with developmental disabilities have lived with so much rejection, abandonment and abuse, it is surprising they are not closed and cold hearted. The stats on abuse for people with developmental disabilities is 85% if not more. When people go to L’Arche, they think they are going to help the “poor” and look after “those people”. After you have been there a while you realize that it is the people with developmental disabilities that are actually training you to be more human. They see so many people come and go they have to adapt continually and they do it with amazing grace.

 

They have to adapt to people who do not speak their language, who are young or old, who can or cannot cook, who impose their beliefs and culture via food, music, clothing and expected behaviours and it goes on and on. People with developmental disabilities have a huge capacity to overlook and forgive. They accept who they are and thus can accept who you are. There is no attempt to be anything other than themselves. This is very powerful for people when they allow themselves to enter this kind of relationship. This video called “I AM” illustrates will this capacity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYA6OjG_E4k

 

Transferable Skills

 

When I first came online a couple of years ago on the social platforms, I was surprised to hear all the discussions around community building and how the world is changing through the use of technology. A lot of the concepts and verbiage being used, like: “transparency, authenticity, adding value, sharing your gifts, everyone has a place, being grateful, story telling, creating relationships and building community” were things we have been living and discovering and exploring at l’Arche for 40 years. I was excited.

 

In learning about social media marketing, I found that creating relationships of mutuality and trust seemed to be a key factor to online success. The very, very first blog I put out on social media was about people-skills learned from a person with a developmental disability. You can read it here: http://www.rebeccahappy.com/getting-connected-in-the-new-mediascape-with-social-media/

 

I presently co-ordinate a very small seniors club of retired members of the L’Arche community I belong to. Here is an interview we did with a local news site http://www.ottawatonite.com/2009/11/larche-artists-art-and-smiles-in-a-thriving-community/ that gives you an excellent sneak peak into the heart of l’Arche.

• For more info on the teachings of the founder Jean Vanier go here http://www.jean-vanier.org/home.en-gb.116.0.index.htm
• For more information about communities near you http://www.larche.org/home.en-gb.1.0.index.htm
• To hear about communities in Haiti read here http://www.larchenetwork.org/en/

Changent Paul Young

Guest post generously contributed by Changent Paul Young of Craft Village, UK, a Fair Trade Company that has started a unique project in Kenya. It has helped the locals increase their income significantly by selling hand-carved, fabulously crafted statues of various popular Simpsons characters!

Craft Village UK – a member of The World Fair Trade Organisation- have developed an acclaimed, income generating, animation inspired product series.

We launched our Kenyan ‘Simpsons Statues’ in February 2009 after 3 years of development working directly with stone carvers in Kenya. Our unique mix of Fair Trade and animation-art has received great reviews; from CNN, The BBC, The United Nations Development Programme, Sir Bob Geldof, Matt Groening and many happy customers!

Our debut stone product series is hand carved in Tabaka. Like many parts of Kenya, Tabaka suffers high levels of poverty and limited access to basic human needs: clean water; health care; education, sanitation, etc. By harnessing The Simpsons popularity, we are creating vital income for the area. This is trade, not handouts. We provide great products and service at a fair price!

This exciting collection has strong appeal to two specific markets; the growing Fair Trade market, and the massive ‘Simpsons’ collector’s market, -worldwide 60 million people watch The Simpsons each week. If we can sell just 1 statue to 0.01% of regular Simpsons viewers -it will provide 10 years work for our artisans!

Developing such a unique project has been a challenge, with many obstacles and false starts along the way. From product development issues, to obtaining a 20th Century Fox license, to packaging and branding problems, we have met each challenge with competence and confidence, and feel very excited about the impact Craft Village can achieve in Kenya, and elsewhere...

Our unique product concept is transferable to many animation and film properties. To date I have met with Licensor’s for Star Wars, Nickelodeon, Aardman Animations and 4Kids Entertainment, all have expressed interest in working with Craft Village to develop fair trade memorabilia for their brands.

It is Craft Village’s goal to become a genuine innovator within Fair Trade, and attract a new audience to the Fair Trade movement with our contemporary cartoon-inspired statues. We are proud to supply Simpsons’ fans with high quality animation art whilst simultaneously having a positive impact on many families in rural Kenya.

We recently launched our new website www.craftvillageuk.com which includes a retail platform and lots of images and videos of our producers in Kenya. All enquiries welcome! Contact Paul Young on paul@craftvillageuk.com

Be Simple ... Apparel

Guest post generously contributed by Will Bildsten, a 14 year old entrepreneur who wants to make a difference in this world by being simple, founder and owner of Be Simple Apparel. You can follow and support this simple initiative on Facebook and Twitter.

Being simple to make a difference

I must admit, I have always wanted things to be simpler. I have bipolar disorder. Life can be a bumpy road for me. Heck, the littlest bumps on the road can really affect me. I have always wanted to be nicer to myself about my mistakes. I have always wanted to handle every day situations like everyone else. I have always always wanted to live life without any erratic bumps on the road. Who knew at age 14, I, Will Bildsten, would start a t-shirt company eventually to be named Be Simple Apparel?

It was a regular day, and I opened up Microsoft Word. I wrote in a big, sans-serif font: Be Simple. Although I generally try to avoid printing, I decided to print this. I taped it on my bedroom door. I left it there and lived my life. Eventually, I wanted to do something with the idea of being simple. I started sketching. I experimented with different designs to express being simple. I decided that in order to fully express being simple, I needed a color (black) and a symbol (the ying-yang) to add more depth. I changed it a bit and created my final concept. I was able to get Ned, who works with my dad, to digitalize the designs.

Later on, I started to wonder how I could express this design. I eventually concluded that t-shirts are expressive, therefore perfect for the job. After researching t-shirts, I realized that cotton is full of pesticides, and polyester is technically oil. I needed to find a material that would be green yet comfortable. I weighed three fabrics: hemp, bamboo, and organic cotton. Hemp is environmentally friendly, but it is too rough. Bamboo, in fact, is awful for the environment, due to its manufacturing processes. I concluded that organic cotton was perfect: comfy enough and green enough. Next, I researched suppliers. After searching for hours, I found Organic Apparel: organic cotton tees that are made in the USA. I could print the tees using water-based inks at DSPE (Denver Screen Printing & Embroidery).

I knew that the t-shirts would be eco-friendly and union-made, but I still had work to do: that legal stuff. I, of course, learned a lot while I was forming an LLC and setting up state taxes. Eventually, I had everything together, but then my dad’s co-workers--working at an ad agency--confronted me that the design needed work. Hence, my new designs were created. And yes, designs. I expanded my line with even more simple messages: be green, be compassionate, be inspired, be peaceful, and be happy. I also changed the design philosophy, resulting in only displaying “be” with a symbol inside the letter b. Each be has its own color, further representing its philosophy. Next, I finished made website and set up all of the social networks. Finally, we set up a charity program to allocate 2% of sales to help relieve Haiti (through the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund). In the end, everything was ready, so we ordered the first 100 tees and planned a launch party for us to introduce and sell our first products.

The launch party was a success. All of my friends and family came. We (me, my mom, and my dad) properly represented the brand in every way. Next, we would have to fulfill pre-orders at the party and start selling online.

Now, our second batch of t-shirts came, and I am working to spread the word of Be Simple Apparel. Business is good for a recession, and the business has really helped me to be simple, be green, be compassionate, be peaceful, be inspired, and be happy. This experience has shaped me in so many ways. I am going to have to improve my business in every possible way. I am also going to have to get the t-shirts selling in retail stores. Oh, and I’ll be 15 soon ... darn.

Changents Kopernik

Kopernik, an on-line store of technology designed for the developing world, is a brainchild of Ewa Wojkowska and Toshi Nakamura. Both of them have worked in international development for about a decade in various developing coutries, with local communities, government ministries, NGOs and donors. This experience exposed them to a wide range of issues from working, improving access to justice for the poor, public sector reform, elections, to recovery from the devastating earthquake and Tsunami. They have been privileged to work for the UN as well. However, during this journey both of them were often left with a feeling that things were being done the same old way that they’ve been done for years and the environment was not conducive to spur innovation. At the same time, they knew that in order for development to be more effective, new ideas and innovation were necessary. And in spite of all the innovation taking place in the private sector it never got assimilated in the developmental planning for the projects utilised in developing coutries.

Out of this restless feeling and drive to do something about it themselves spurred Kopernik, named after the great Polish scienctist, Copernicus. The story of its birth is probably best told in Ewa's own words from their Changents profile,

[...] then in early 2009, we came up with one model of solving long standing development problems by asking people of various professional backgrounds for bold ideas. The foundation of this model was a clear statement of issues, articulated by the communities in developing countries who are living with those problems.

But based on our own experience, we instinctively knew that it would be difficult to get a clear statement of challenges. We were stuck on this for a while.

One night, after some good food and some more good wine, at our place in Brooklyn, we suddenly came up with the idea of reversing the idea. Why don’t we start with the proven ‘solutions’, and let the communities (represented by local organisations) articulate instead how they want to use the solutions (technology) to solve their existing problems. This was a little ‘Copernican Revolution’ for us, as we are now starting with supply (menu of possible options to solve common development challenges) and then from here our partner organizations can articulate the demand. And given that so many challenges are common to many developing countries (lack of clean drinking water and lack of power supply for example) – we think it makes a lot of sense.

Honouring my Polish background we decided to name our venture ‘Kopernik’, the Polish name of this great Polish scientist.

And that’s how it all began.

I interviewed Ewa about their unique and ambitious venture, which in its early stages is definitely showing signs of being a big success, and I would like to share her answers with my readers below.
 

Q] When you started Kopernik, what was your expectation of response to this unique idea from your potential technological partners? Was the response better or worse than your expectation?

A] We were pretty confident about the idea, but of course we did not know for certain until we actually spoke to the technology providers. The response from them was overwhelmingly positive, as we directly address the two fundamental challenges they face. These challenges are limited distribution channels (Kopernik helps by connecting the technology providers to local organisations in developing countries in need of the technology) and price, which is frequently too high (by crowd funding and subsidising at least part of the cost of products and international shipping we enable more technology to reach those who need it). For them, Kopernik is a means to be able to scale more quickly, and eventually bring the price down to reach even more people.

Q] How has the response from the beneficiaries of these technologies been? The provision of the gadget or technology definitely improves the quality of living for them. However have you had an experience where this boost has encouraged them to lead a better life and take initiative for further improvement?

A] We conducted our pilot activities in Timor-Leste and Indonesia, and the response from the beneficiaries has been very positive. While at this early stage it might be premature to say whether our initiative has encouraged them to lead a better life, they immediately saw the benefit of the technology, and its transformative power on the way they live.

One thing that is very important to us is ensuring that the technology that we feature on Kopernik is effective and appropriate for a developing country context. So we also ask that each organization rates and provides feedback on the products that they have received.

Kopernik will conduct a sustainability review one to two years after completion of selected projects. We want to know what difference the technologies have made to people’s lives, whether they are still functioning and in use, and if not, why not.

Q] In your bio on the Changents website you mention about Kopernik, “The model has evolved almost daily and then in early 2009, we came up with one model of solving long standing development problems by asking people of various professional backgrounds for bold ideas.” This would help incredibly in making the ideological base of Kopernik very broad and hence for it to be able to offer diverse technological solutions. What are the different fields of expertise, backgrounds that these professionals come from? Does their expertise as “professionals” help in the operation of Kopernik?

A] The idea was to really to leverage the un-tapped capacity and competencies of engineers, doctors, business consultants, students, designers, and teachers etc. in solving development problems. While we have not implemented this idea, we are in the process of incorporating it into the current model. This will be mainly in the area of developing new appropriate technology that responds to the needs articulated by partner organizations/communities in developing countries. We would be happy to provide more info on this endeavor, once the idea has taken more shape.

Q] Can you explain a bit about ‘crowd-funded financial subsidies’ that Kopernik helps provide to those in need in the developing countries?

A] New technology, however useful it may be for the society, is often very expensive, and the free market mechanism does not necessarily bring such technology into the world. This is why government often provides subsidies for new technology, such as hybrid and electric cars. This market failure also applies to technology for the poor. Building on the collective power of individuals, Kopernik is providing micro-subsidies to the appropriate technology to scale and reach the people who need them the most.

Q] Given that it is a very new idea and initiative, what are Kopernik’s goal / vision for next 5 years in terms of outreach, both to technological partners and those who need those technologies? And how would you want anyone reading this interview to help Kopernik reach that goal, realise that vision?

A] We want to bring appropriate technology to benefit over one million people within 5 years. We are building networks with key universities such as MIT and organisations like Ashoka to identify and distribute emerging technologies that can change lives. We also work with NGO networks and are establishing relationships with overseas volunteer programs to identify and reach out to reliable and innovative NGOs so that we can reach more people and connect more technology to people who need them.

We are currently working with 'off the shelf' technology but will soon expand into supporting local level production of appropriate technology. Similarly, while we are currently using a donation/subsidy model we will soon introduce new service lines that include loans and lease-to-buy schemes.

As for what readers can do - two things:

1. Donate towards one of the following two proposals:

Provide Access to Clean Water

$6.50 will buy a life-straw for a displaced person in Sri Lanka and provide one person with safe drinking water for a whole year.

http://bit.ly/cFJh9X

Help provide clean light to students in rural Nigeria

$30 will buy a solar lamp for a student in rural Nigeria that will replace dirty, dangerous and expensive kerosene.

http://bit.ly/bGkL4e

2. And ask 5 of their friends to do the same!

http://www.thekopernik.org/

Changent Ocean Robbins

[Image source]

In the 70s, a child is born in a 1-room log cabin on a tiny island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. His parents built that cabin themselves, grew most of their own food and lived on less than $500 per year. The child grew up with few material possessions but had clean air, clean water, time with my mom and dad and beautiful nature all around. He grew up with deep love for nature and the Earth. Then in the 1980s, his family moved to California. His dad’s book called Diet for a New America, one of the first books to show how our food choices affect not just our health and happiness but also the future of life on Earth, became a runaway success and brought the much needed financial security to his family. The little boy’s life could have been a very different story had his father not decided to work for the growth of compassion and healing in the world and walked away from the fame and fortune of the world’s largest ice cream company that his family owned. But then, this boy wouldn’t have recognised, at a young age of 15, that the planetary bio-system was deteriorating rapidly under the impact of human activities and that he had to do something about it. He wouldn’t have started a project to help young people make a difference in the world, that would later become YES!, and reach half a million students in high schools in more than 40 US states in the first half of the 1990’s.

I am talking about Ocean Robbins, co-founder of YES!, son of John Robbins, one of the first “food revolutionaries” in the US and grandson of the owner and founder of Baskin-Robbins or 31 flavours. Yes, I know it is quite an incredible story and that is exactly why I have decided to feature Ocean and YES! in my Changents post for this fortnight. Ocean’s upbringing had made him a very different human being which showed through his early entrepreneurial ventures like the ‘Ocean’s natural bakery’ that he started at the age of 10. By the age of 15 he was already facilitating summits on environmental concerns and writing for national magazines. And around this time he, along with friend Ryan Eliason, started a project to help young people make a difference in the world. They organized a national tour, speaking to school assemblies about the environment and what their peers could do to make a difference. Along the way more enthusiastic young people join them and with tens of thousands of dollars raised, YES! was launched as an organization. Over the years Ocean and YES! have experienced the realities and struggles of many different kinds of communities. And this has prompted them time and again to keep broadening their definition of the environment to include people as well as the planet.

It has also been an eye-opening journey for Ocean to see and experience firsthand the great divide between the haves and have-nots in our society that prevails even today. He says it made him rethink about his own place in the world. The lifestyle he had taken for granted as a white, heterosexual male with a US passport and financial sufficiency now looked like a privilege. Along with this inner struggle Ocean’s life has brought him challenges in various shapes and forms. But his positive attitude towards their purpose in his life only makes him stand out even more as compassionate human being. Taking care of the special developmental needs of his twin sons, River and Bodhi, acts for him as a reminder of the simple healing beauty of love, and of what really matters most in life. The rude and devastating first-hand encounter his family had with the economic meltdown in December 2008 made his family’s life savings disappear overnight in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. This has meant a lot of rethinking and adjustment of lifestyle for Ocean and his family. It has lead him to the conclusion that perhaps life, is mostly about what we do with whatever is given to us. In Ocean’s own words,

“[...] sometimes it has seemed a heroic achievement just to make it through the day. Caring for my sons’ special needs while directing an organization and trying to help a generation respond to the madness and violence of our times… There is never enough time to do all the things I want to, so I get to practice doing the best I can with the time I have, and letting the rest go by.”

I am privileged to have come across such a compassionate and dynamic individual and decided to ask him to share with us what has been his greatest challenge or most valuable experience during his work with YES! This is what Ocean has shared with us.

We live in a world with profound gaps in access to resources, opportunities, and liberty. Ours is a world with deep divisions along lines like race, class, power, nationality and religion. Ours is a world where the use of people and the planet for short-term monetary gain have enabled massive wealth to concentrate in ever fewer hands, while hunger and malnutrition take the lives of thousands of children daily.
As a white American male, born into a loving and supportive family in which all of my basic material were met, I see the world in a manner that is influenced by the privileges I have known. As a bridgebuilder whose life and work are about building authentic partnerships across historic divides, I must see the world not only through my own lens, but also learn to identify with the problems, work and dreams of people from many different places and perspectives. Sometimes, that is hard.
When I started YES!, we called our organization Youth for Environmental Sanity, and we wanted to mobilize young people to take positive action on behalf of the future of life on Earth. So we organized a national tour, speaking to school assemblies about the environment. As we travelled the United States, I kept finding that the environment meant different things to different people. To some, the environment was trees and blue sky, but to others, the environment was gangs and concrete and trying to get home from school without getting shot.
So we kept having to broaden our definition of the environment, to include people as well as the planet. And I had to recognize that it is a privilege to think about the long term -- something that can be very hard for people who are on the edge of survival in the here and now. If your house is on fire, you don't think about saving water for the next drought. You do whatever you've got to do to increase your chances of survival. Issues like global warming, or a resource consumption overshoot, have a profound impact on the world we share. And yet they can feel removed to folks whose day to day needs are so urgent.
Whatever our context, however, I learned that to be an environmentalist is to cease being a victim of the problems around us, and to become an active participant in making things better. Some people take positive action by cleaning up trash or organizing carpooling ventures, and others by working for gang truces or green jobs in urban communities. It all matters, and it's all part of a broad and diverse movement that is changing the face of our world.
I have come to believe that there are more than six billion parts to play in the healing of our world. Whatever our background, whatever privileges we have know, and whatever traumas we have endured, we all have some vital and unique contribution to make. Our histories, and our destinies, are each unique. And they are each vital in enabling us to do what we are here to do.

  

 

Sunday Spotlight: Changents

‘Connecting the people that help the world to the people that help them.’ Yes, this is how ‘Changents’ (Change + Agents = Changents) describe themselves on their website. I do not know if I should call ‘Changents’ an organisation, a network, a support-system, a charity or what? Because to me it seems all-in-one. The reason for that is that ‘Changents’ is made up of numerous individuals. Individuals just like you and me. Nobody significant if you think in terms of financial, political or glamorous influence on the world at large. But they’re all making a difference at the grass root level, where it matters the most. Individuals from all over the world are starting and championing movements every single day in various communities. Some of them are “green” champions, some are heralding a community development project, some promoting education, some others seeking health and sanitation facilities while someone else might be rooting for human rights. ‘Changents’ is a place where they all come to share their stories with the world. And it is also a place for people like me who want to help them help the world.

The categories listed on the ‘Changents’ website in which the various Changents work are Corporate Responsibility, Disaster, Education, Energy, Environment, Health, Homelessness, Human Rights, Hunger, Politics, Refugees, Terrorism, Tolerance, Violence, War & Conflict. So those who’re passionate about any of these causes can find people making a difference in these fields at a click of the mouse. Each Changent has their own blog to share the updates of their triumphs and trials. And others can share these stories as well as comment on them. One can also find Changents based on geographical location of their work. Making good use of social media Changents has presence on Twitter and on Facebook. The website even has the Facebook connect feature which lets you share your activity and the Changent stories with your Facebook contacts. And you can start making a “ripple” in the world by inviting friends to join Changents.

I have only recently come across and joined Changents. And in my capacity as an author and blogger I am going to be featuring various Changent stories on my blog in the coming days. I will try and maintain diversity by writing about stories from different parts of the world and also people working in diverse fields like education, eco-conservation, human rights and many more. So keep your eyes peeled for the updates and search for posts tagged with “Changents”. I hope that at least one of these numerous gems of selfless acts will inspire to take an action and spread the word.

Sunday Spotlight: Kiva.org

It is a brand new year of brand new possibilities. And I am writing my first post of the year about a community that helps make brand new possibilities into reality. If we are ready to accept the reality with open heart, all of us have a potential to help someone else lead a better life. We can chose to keep complaining about our own and not do anything about it. Or we can be grateful for what we’ve got and try to make a difference for someone else. If you are the one of the latter kind, Kiva.org is the place for you to go to. I came across Kiva.org some time back but didn’t register as a lender until recently. I am yet to give my first loan but I am really glad to be participating in UPrinting.com’s Kiva Blogathon.

As Kiva’s own website describes, “Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.” What I find unique about Kiva is that they provide “loans” and not charity or donation to people who want to be entrepreneurs. This is very empowering for the individual who receives the money as there comes a responsibility with it. It makes the person confident of their self-worth and doesn’t make them resent for living on charity. It boosts the entrepreneur’s self-esteem to know they’ve been shown confidence in by their lender. They are expected to put in an effort to set up and run a business profitably so the money can be returned to the lender. I feel this is a very powerful way of touching someone’s life and improving it.

Also reassuring is Kiva’s effort to maintain transparency throughout the whole process. Usually when one gives a donation or charity, there is an underlying resignation that the money may or may not reach the proposed cause. But we give it away anyway for our mental and moral satisfaction. Kiva helps you “give” the money to someone in need but not “give away”. There is accountability in the whole process. There is a basic assumption that the entrepreneur may fail and you will never see your money back. But at least there is an expectation that the entrepreneur should put in some effort to make the business work. It may or may not. But what is important is the intention of the giver and the taker. Kiva has set up a great network of fellows and volunteers worldwide who make sure the feedback loop is constantly fed and the lenders are updated with the status of the “project”. And on a given lender’s profile you can see the history and success of the loans they’ve given to the date. I was pleasantly surprised to see almost 95% of the loans being repaid and hence being reused over and over to change so many lives.

A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.

Kiva community is made up of various levels and teams that contribute to the whole process in their won capacity. The core team looks after the management and administration at the highest level. But the supporters (corporate and institutional partners), field partners (micro-finance institutions), fellows (individuals who get to visit and experience Kiva’s working on the field) and volunteers are the people that make Kiva a grass-root level organisation. I am also impressed with the ‘apps gallery’ that Kiva has developed. These various applications help those interested setup alerts to watch the progress of and get notified of the loan requirements that they’re interested in. For example, I wish to give a loan in India to an entrepreneur in the field of education and computing. Kiva’s Facebook and Twitter alerts let me set up an alert with these criteria. So when a request from a field partner or an entrepreneur gets entered into Kiva’s database, I get an alert that I might want to consider this opportunity for making my contribution. Isn’t that just wonderful!

So if you think you are ready to touch someone’s life and make a difference, head to Kiva.org, register yourself as a lender and make that contribution. You will literally see it keep coming back at you over the course of your life. Happy 2010 and happy loaning!!!

You, too, can be a banker to the poor: Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof on fighting poverty in the developing world with a click of your mouse.(OPINION)(kiva.org): ... An article from: New York Times Upfront

I do 30

This is a real quick post about a simple but valuable campaign/message that I came across called 'I do 30'. The ‘I do 30’ campaign was started in Denmark by the bio-innovation company Novozymes, who creates the enzymes that makes it possible to wash your clothes at low temperatures. ‘I do 30’ is about those small climate friendly choices you can make in your everyday life to make a bigger change. Almost all of us wash clothes in hot water of temperature around 60 degrees C.

An environmental social media campaign called ‘I do 30’encourages people across the world to turn down the temperature on their laundry to 30 degrees C in order to save CO2. If you are at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15) you will see them move around the streets of Copenhagen with speech bubbles, hoping the ‘I do 30’ statements will reach the leaders of the world. These bubbles have statements from the campaign supporters from around the world saying why "they do 30".

This weekend, the Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, was presented with more than 15,000 supporters of the campaign. And the Danish Crown Prince was also handed over a ‘I do 30’ washing machine. Check out the video and photos. If you want to know more about this campaign and participate, check out their website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Once of the few environmentally conscious groups that are making good use of the immense power of social media to reach out to people.

Almost gone ... hope not!

Guest post series 'Almost gone ...' by Scott Bright (@Speciesguy)

Hi kids, parents and all. Today I wanted share of some positive things that people are doing to make a difference for endangered species. When you watch these videos, you'll want to thank these people. Hey, I’m doing my best here, I wish I could write like Richard Bach, but I try to make it interesting.

Lions Get To Live

In Africa, the lions were eating the farmers’ cattle, so the farmers did the only thing they thought would solve the problem, which was to take out as many of them as possible. So, fewer and fewer lions were to being seen. Hey, if they were my cows, I would do the same thing. Lions are professionals at running to catch something to eat.

Well, a group of people who called Conservation org. learned that this was happening, and sent some people to talk with the farmers. Check out the solution. Now the farmers let the lions live! Yahoo! See video. It’s a great video of people helping in a tough situation. Just Google some good things for endangered species, and you’ll find some good things happening.

Raising Shark Awareness

Here’s another person I read about. Here name is Lesley Rochat from South Africa. Boy, does she care about sharks and other marine life. She has a cool video about Maxine the shark. This is a great video! She was a friend with a ragged toothed shark for ten years, and this shark became a star! And with all of our support, will put an end to shark finning.

Parents, she has other videos, but you'll have to use your discretion. They are the best videos made to stop shark finning.

Breeding Species In Captivity

When a species home gets smaller and smaller, animals get in a lot of trouble as far as survival is concerned. Now some caring people take animals from where they live and breed them. It’s called, “breeding in captivity.” It just means that they make other species away from where they live. If people did not do this, the animal would go extinct.

I can’t wait to share this with you! On an island called, “Madagascar, they have some of the strangest animals on our planet. The thing is, species like the fossa, the leaf tailed gecko, and aye-aye only exist on this island. And a lot of their forests are being cut down. People are trying to change that too. So for now, some people learned that a lot of the animals were in trouble there and sprung into action.

Way To Go Duke

Yes indeed, Duke University came to the rescue! Take a look at this video. One of the animals they breed is the aye-aye. Just say eye, eye, and you will had said their name right. My hats are off to the people at the Duke Lemur Center because they are breeding a bunch of species that would have gone extinct.

Look how cute the aye-aye’s are. And it’s the only place on earth where they live. Ok, I found one other video about Dr. Kathy Williams and what she does. Thank you Duke!

To Wrap Up For Today

What I’m suggesting is we learn about what’s happening with different animals, and get enthused about the value of a species! When we learn why a species is important, that is valuable information to share with your teachers, and with your parents help, you can write a leader. Way to go! Thanks kid, parents and all, I hope you enjoyed me sharing what some wonderful people are doing to make a difference. What species will we look at next week? Stay tuned.

Please check out the books on my site, if we educate our kids with books, DVDs, and write a leader, we can be part of the solution to lower the endangered species rate. And I have cool bamboo items for the home. Check my site, I have other fun videos, plus blogs and books for your learning. Remember, education is what can turn this around.

I also post some funny looking species on Twitpic.

Kids Books For Endangered Species

SpeciesHelp.com

And I'm Speciesguy on Twitter. Come say hi.

Universe in your head

[Image source: MSNBC]

“Everyone creates their own reality.”

“Thoughts become things.”

“Observer collapses the wave-function merely by observing.”

These lines were made famous by the “new age-y” documentaries like What the bleep do we know?! and The secret. May be not all of you have heard of them. But these and many other works by leading scientists and spiritual leaders have lead to a paradigm shift amongst those who are open to such shifts. Research into understanding of mind-body interaction has gone way beyond neuroscience, which is the popular face of this kind of research. I’m sure most of you would have heard / seen the term “New age” in regards to classification of books, music, ideas etc. The term points more towards the rise of a “new age” of sorts in human thinking and doesn’t really mean that human beings are discovering something new. It is a mere rediscovery if one considers the ancient texts of numerous cultures as not mere mythology.

Many (re)discoveries in the cutting edge research in quantum physics, neuroscience, cognitive sciences and biomedicine are now hinting towards the existence of ‘consciousness’ and its significant importance in how we perceive the world, the “reality”. Cosmic Log on MSNBC.com describes itself as “Quantum fluctuations in space, science, exploration and other cosmic fields... served up regularly by MSNBC.com science editor Alan Boyle since 2002.” It showcases the book ‘Biocentrism’ by biomedical researcher Robert Lanza which is generating controversy by arguing that our consciousness plays a central role in creating the cosmos. As one of the reviewers of the book says, this may not be an entirely new idea but it is worth repeating. The physicists who should be declaring this out loud to the general populous aren’t doing so because it would mean a HUGE paradigm shift; may be the one that we’re not yet ready to handle. But if YOU think you are ready, give the book a read. We successfully made the shift from ‘geocentric’ model to ‘heliocentric’ model. May be now it is time to try a bigger leap, to the ‘biocentric’ model.

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Silicon valley no more?

New exotic material could revolutionize electronics

Move over, silicon -- it may be time to give the Valley a new name. Physicists at the Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have confirmed the existence of a type of material that could one day provide dramatically faster, more efficient computer chips.

Recently-predicted and much-sought, the material allows electrons on its surface to travel with no loss of energy at room temperatures and can be fabricated using existing semiconductor technologies. Such material could provide a leap in microchip speeds, and even become the bedrock of an entirely new kind of computing industry based on spintronics, the next evolution of electronics. Physicists Yulin Chen, Zhi-Xun Shen and their colleagues tested the behaviour of electrons in the compound bismuth telluride. The results, published online June 11 in Science Express, show a clear signature of what is called a topological insulator, a material that enables the free flow of electrons across its surface with no loss of energy.

So now my generation might be the last one to know the computers as we know them today. Of course this is just one among many other things, like the black and white photographs, black and white television, cars with stick-shift gear, hardcopy (not electronic) scrapbooking etc., that the next generation may never know of! Wow, now THAT makes me feel old!

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• SLAC to receive additional $21.8M in recovery act funding for new research instruments (scienceblog.com)